Jaylen Brown ruled OUT with left Achilles tendinitis.

Jaylen Brown was ruled out of Thursday's game against the New York Knicks with left Achilles tendinitis — the same injury that sidelined him for two games in late March. What makes this concerning is the timing: Brown dropped 35 points and 9 rebounds against Charlotte just one day earlier on April 8, then couldn't go 24 hours later.

The Celtics insist this is load management ahead of the playoffs. Brown himself downplayed it in late March, saying "everybody's dealing with something — just some soreness." But Achilles tendinitis is not the kind of injury that just goes away, and with the postseason starting April 18, Boston can't afford to have their co-star compromised.

Without Brown on Thursday, the Celtics fell to the Knicks, who cut the gap to 2 games for the #2 seed with the tiebreaker in hand. Boston can still clinch the #2 seed with a win over New Orleans tonight or a Knicks loss to Toronto. But the real question isn't seeding — it's whether Brown's Achilles holds up for a deep playoff run.